The Only Woman in a Zombie Apocalypse Vol. 1 Chapter 32 - Humans are scarier than zombies (1)

They were a group still young, in their early twenties, so the time they had lived was short, and accordingly, their experiences and ways of thinking were somewhat immature. 

 

They felt that this had happened because they hadn’t been more careful. Dayoung said she was fine, but her hands were trembling. 

 

Ian and Jiseok quickly wrapped up the conversation.

 

“First, let’s drive the zombies outside. Joohan, Yeowoon hyung, and Jiseok hyung, go out through the back gate and head right. Minshik hyung, Jiwoo, and Dohun, go left. Circle around and check the barricades. Since the sound came from this side, the zombies probably haven’t moved in both directions, but just in case, be careful.”

 

“While checking the barricades, if you get close to this door, block the other doors with barricades first so they can’t approach. I’ll go out and lure the zombies to the car in the opposite building. Once the zombies are lured away, Woomin hyung and Hanyeol hyung, take care of that noisy thing. Minho hyung, turn on all the exterior lights of the shopping mall right now.”

 

“Because of that noise, it’s highly likely the zombies won’t move. We can’t get close, so we’ll have to pull it toward us and break it.”

 

At Woomin’s words, Dayoung and the group brought several clothes hangers from nearby stores and shaped them into hooks. 

 

The others created a gap in the middle of the sofa.

 

“Once that noise is gone, the remaining zombies will swarm me. At that point, those outside checking the barricades should repair any collapsed ones once all the zombies are gone.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Then let’s move.”

 

At Ian’s words, the men prepared to move, but Dayoung called out to them.

 

“Hey! Everyone, be careful out there…”

 

“Noona, don’t worry!”

 

“Dayoung, you worry too much.”

 

The group lightly tapped Dayoung’s head and smiled at her. 

 

Once they disappeared, Dayoung peeked through a small gap between the sofas to assess the situation. 

 

The zombies, drawn by the blaring emergency alarm, were pushing forward relentlessly and had already reached the front of the sofas. 

 

Aside from the two scouting on the rooftop and the seven who had just gone outside, the remaining men inside were observing the situation in a similar posture to Dayoung.

 

“The hallway is wide, so all six of us might need to hold the sofas in place. The zombies have already pushed up to the front.”

“Dayoung, do you think you can turn off the emergency alarm later?”

“It’s hard to see because of the zombies’ legs, but I’ll try.”

“If Ian distracts the zombies, it’ll be easier for you to pull it off. It should be fine.”

 

Dayoung clenched her fist and nodded, silently praying that nothing would happen to the group outside.

 

The zombies had completely blocked the hallway, making it impossible to see outside through the gap between the sofas. The group had prepared cars in various locations, ready to start at any moment to lure the zombies. 

 

They had connected large speakers to the cars so that music would play as soon as the engines turned on. 

 

Near the mall, Ian used a smart key to start one of the cars. 

 

Dayoung waited anxiously—how long had it been? Before long, loud music blared from beyond the mall.

 

“Grooaaah.”

“Grrraaah!”

 

At the deafening noise, the zombies began shuffling one by one toward the car. 

 

The zombies gathered outside the mall reacted more strongly to the booming music than to the emergency alarm. 

 

However, those near the alarm hesitated, wandering around as if uncertain. The sound of the alarm was louder than expected.

 

“Dayoung, now!”

 

The number of zombies had significantly decreased. 

 

At Minho’s shout, Dayoung dropped to the floor and slid a makeshift hook made of clothes hangers through the gap in the sofas. 

 

Carefully, she pushed it forward, making sure not to snag any zombie legs.

 

Staggering as she was stepped on by wandering zombies, Dayoung fortunately managed to reach the emergency bell. She pressed herself as close to the ground as possible and reached out to hook the bell. 

 

It wouldn’t catch easily, and her frustration quickly flared up.

 

“Damn it! It just won’t hook!”

“Wow, Dayoung just cursed.”

“Our Dayoung’s pissed. She’s really pissed.”

 

The group holding up the sofa lightened the mood with jokes. 

 

Dayoung took a deep breath, steadied herself, and tried again. After several attempts, she finally felt a clinking sensation—the emergency bell had hooked onto the hanger. 

 

Trembling, she pulled the hanger toward her.

 

Pressing her shaking hand with her other hand, she carefully and slowly pulled the hook. 

 

A minute felt like ten, but the noisy emergency bell finally made its way through the sofa’s gap. 

 

Following the sound, zombies pressed against the sofa, pushing it. The group braced their feet and bodies, holding the sofa steady while watching Dayoung’s movements.

 

“Almost there! Just hold on a little longer!”

 

Soon, the emergency bell came inside the sofa, and Minho raised a baseball bat, smashing it down hard. It took two hits before the bell shattered and fell silent. The group held their breath and peered through the sofa’s gap into the hallway. 

 

Confused by the sudden silence, the zombies wandered aimlessly before eventually following the music outside.

 

 As the zombies disappeared down the hallway, Dayoung finally let out the breath she’d been holding.

 

The zombies were drawn past the barricade toward the car playing music. 

 

Outside, the group quietly moved as they watched the last zombie approach the car. Once the barricade separating the zombies from the mall was restored, Jiseok radioed Ian.

 

―Ian, the barricade’s up. Fall back.

―Okay.

 

Ian, standing near the barricade by the mall, turned off the car’s engine with the smart key.

 

The loud music faded, and everything fell silent. Ian, who had entered the barricade, radioed Minho.

―Minho hyung. Turn off the exterior lights.

―Got it. Come in carefully.

 

Most of the lights went out, leaving only guide lights. Ian focused on the sounds of the zombies in the dark, quiet silence. 

 

Earlier, the bright lights from the shopping mall’s exterior had made the zombies more active. But now that the lights were dimmed, their movements would likely slow soon. 

 

Once Ian confirmed the zombies were less active, he stepped inside the mall.

 

The group inside, having seen the barricade being set up beyond the door, only began moving the sofas back when Jiseok radioed Ian to retreat. There was no way to reattach the shattered glass. 

 

Tension lingered among the group, unsure when the two men who had fled might return.

 

Dayoung, especially, was upset, feeling like she had put everyone in danger by not speaking up earlier. But even if she went back, she probably couldn’t explain. 

 

This is a book, you’re all characters in it, and I’m from somewhere else. That’s why I knew everything that would happen!

 

Only when the group that had gone outside returned unharmed did Dayoung’s legs finally give way, and she slumped to the floor. 

 

Seeing her sudden collapse, the others rushed over.

“Dayoung, were you that scared? You look pale.”

“Noona, are you okay?”

“Huh? No, I’m fine. I guess I was just a little tense. I was worried about everyone who went outside. Now that the tension’s gone, I just…”

“The floor’s cold. Here, sit on the sofa first.”

 

They helped Dayoung over to the sofa. Sitting down, she let out a deep sigh of relief.

“But Dayoung, what were you doing here at this hour?”

 

“I just… don’t feel good. I’m feeling uneasy for no reason, so I thought I’d just go scout around or something.”

“Noona, you do have a sixth sense, don’t you? How is your timing always like this?”

“Hey, is that even something to say?”

“What’s wrong with having a sixth sense?? My grandmother used to receive divine messages too!”

 

As the group bickered back and forth, Dayoung finally smiled. Her complexion had also improved significantly, which put the others at ease. 

 

Staring at the wide-open door, the group began to settle around Dayoung. Though there were more comfortable and cozy spots, they found it hard to move elsewhere. 

 

With the mall, which had once felt like an impenetrable fortress, now in ruins, each of them was lost in thought.

 

“By the way, what should we do about this place?”

“We should block it. Do we have any wooden planks downstairs?”

“I don’t think there were many. But it should be enough to barricade that door. Though we might need to reinforce the other doors too.”

“If we cover the glass doors, the planks might fall if the glass breaks. Should we place the planks on the outside? Or just block it completely?”

 

The group thought about the smaller doors scattered around. 

 

They had been settled in the mall for four months now, and though it wasn’t common, they had occasionally encountered survivors like Dayoung. 

 

But those survivors had gone their own way, and the three men were the first living people to actually seek refuge in the mall. 

 

The doors had been left unsealed for anyone who might approach the mall—but now, they wondered if they might die themselves before they could save anyone else.

 

“Let’s block all the small doors first. We can think about the main entrance and the back door later—how to make them stronger.”

 

At Ian’s words, everyone nodded in agreement.